In which the TARDIS is a meanie
by ChloeNicolee1912
Summary: The TARDIS is horrible to Clara, it backfires, and the Doctor gets sad. Better than it sounds (I hope) Written from the TARDIS' point of view, because its fun, and it may be a little angsty, but the fluff rules that out in the end! (autocorrect played havoc, so if you'd like to point out any spelling errors or places where it has changed a word altogether, i'll change it ASAP!)


She saw Clara look up at the Maitland home, breathing a sigh of relief that she'd been brought home safely. Clara knew the TARDIS didn't like her, so she'd probably felt foolish asking for a lift, but the ship had jumped at the chance of finally getting rid of the girl who'd been a thorn in her side since the Doctor had invited her aboard. But there'd be no more of that. She'd heard Clara clearly say that she'd "never travel with that madman again". And good riddance really, now it could just be her and her Doctor, the way she'd planned.

Drifting back into the Vortex, the TARDIS tried to relax in her new found Clara-less peace, but found that traces of the impossible girl still lingered. She tried to cleanse herself, making Clara's room vanish, and replacing the chair that she'd used to sit on in the library. And yet, Clara lingered, her presence living in every sigh and dejected look that came from her Doctor, who now leant against her console, arms crossed, looking through the floor. He was sad. Very sad. His childish glow, his bounce, his spark were just... Gone. She tried to distract him by making something below the deck shoot out blue sparks and make a strange hissing noise (all absolutely harmless of course) but to no avail. He didn't even raise his eyes. If she didn't know any better she'd say he was ignoring her. But he'd have no reason to do that, what had happened wasn't entirely her fault...

_[Dramatic Flashback]_

_"What are these?" Clara wondered, running her fingers gently over the pin board covered in pictures of her, that looked like her but weren't her and various notes in the Doctors circular script. She'd been looking for her room (the TARDIS thought it'd be funny to move it. Again) and had instead found her way to a room dominated by two pin boards. One covered in photos of people she didn't know, but the other was dominated by her. As she gazed at the photo of the Victorian governess, and the young girl in red, she realised that these must be the girls that were, but also weren't, her, and who had helped the Doctor in previous adventures. The girl who had died. _  
_The TARDIS thought that this would be a sure-fire way to get this pest to leave. Show her that the only reason the Doctor had invited her along was to give him time to work out her mystery. Now he knew that she was totally normal there'd be no use for her anymore and he'd discard her. She then drew Clara's attention to the other board. The board full of pictures of the past companions. Martha smiling with the Doctor and Mickey, Donna and the Doctor with Agatha Christie, The Doctor and his Ponds, and, taking centre stage, a picture of Rose Tyler, smiling into the camera, no doubt being held by her Doctor. There were no pictures of the Doctor smiling with Clara. She wouldn't make it onto this board because she wasn't special to him, she was just a mystery for him._

_Clara got the message alright. Realised what his realisation that she was "just Clara" meant. She really was JUST Clara, no longer special or interesting. Just a normal human girl. She'd be discarded soon, now he had no need of her._

_The TARDIS made the route from the board room back to the console room considerably easier than the journey there had been, knowing that this was it! Clara was going to go, finally! And she knew, by the way the girl angrily stormed into the room, grabbing a page from her notebook and scribbling a note that read "I won't be shoved aside for being normal. I honestly thought you actually wanted me to travel with you, because you saw something special in me, and you know what, I AGREED because I saw something special in you, that I've never found in anyone else before and I thought it was the start if something fantastic. But I realise now that all the travelling, all the danger, it was just to try and figure me out because you thought I was something impossible. Well I'm not. Find a new distraction, I'm done." When finished she demanded to be sent home by the TARDIS, who, gladly complied._

_[End flashback]_

That note was scrunched tightly in the hand of the Doctor, who still stood motionless against the console. No amount of funny noises or flashes of light could distract him. He took out the paper and read it again, desperately trying to understand, he paced, read, sat and read again, and cursed the fact he'd not been there to confront her, reassure her. He started talking aloud, to himself. He poured out everything wrong with that note. About how he'd invited her along to work her out, yes, but mostly because he'd FOUND her. After so long mourning her, he'd found her! He wanted to keep her by his side always, to keep her safe and show her the wonders of the universe simply because he WANTED to. Because she was impossible. Impossibly stubborn, impossibly cheeky, impossibly beautiful and caring and he needed her.

The TARDIS watched him, guilt seeping into her very heart. This isn't what she wanted. She'd thought that she'd done him a favour, gotten rid of the now useless girl, so he didn't have to! Because what possible use could he have for her? She hadn't realised that he'd be this badly effected. But as she watched him reach into his breast pocket and unfold a photo of him and Clara on Ahkaten, both grinning, his arm casually wrapped around her as they smiled into the camera, she realised how wrong she had been. She had to make this right. So she activated the TARDIS voice interface, using Claras image and she told him. Told him of her stupid jealousy, and suspicion, and told him what she'd done today, told him why Clara left. And before he could be angry, she flung the doors open, revealing the Maitland house. "Go." She urged, "Go and tell her what I just heard you say." And as she saw the pair on the doorstep, the Doctor talking a mile a minute, arms waving, occasionally pointing at the TARDIS (which earns her a death glare from Clara but she figured she deserved it) before then reconciled, arms wrapping round eachother in a tight embrace, she realised that she had indeed been wrong to interfere. She may not like the impossible girl but if the way the Doctor was almost crying with relief into her hair was any indication, he liked her very much, and if she made her Doctor happy, then it should be the job of his most faithful companion to preserve that bond, not interfere with it. And from then she vowed never to move Clara's room again.


End file.
